It’s no secret that people lie. This is especially true on the Internet, and Facebook seems to be a large community of liars, if reports are to be believed. 25% of users, as measured by a 2000-household survey, use false information in their Facebook profiles to ward off identity theft. But is that really all there is to it?
Facebook changes their display a lot; they also change what information is shared between users. New functions allow applications to share information between users even if the user has set Facebook’s privacy settings to “friends only.” Facebook also has a new function that shows a location along with posts made from mobile phones, as well as sharing what music a user might be listening to at any given time. This information is crucial to companies that streamline their products to consumers; they want to know want people want.
Some users, aside from privacy, falsify their profile information for fun. A big example is setting up a funny nickname. I have a friend who lists his Facebook nickname as “Jafar,” the antagonist from the Disney movie, Aladdin. Adding to that, some users create accounts to emulate popular characters from books, television series, movies, etc. These accounts are typically made for fun, but they can also be dangerous if personal information is leaked while signed into the wrong account.
Studies about Facebook’s privacy settings reveal shocking information about users. According to a Consumer Reports questionnaire, only 37% of those polled had actually used Facebook privacy settings or knew anything about them. Just think: if 63% of people on Facebook are leaving their personal information out in the open for thieves and companies to steal and use for their own gain, how is it that our nation has not already crumbled in economic duress?
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